In Absentia
by BarracudaHeart
Summary: 'He wasn't going to tell anyone about this. He didn't need the fuss. He'd had to hold his hand up to halt Scrooge from doing anything when he finally relented and told him why he needed medical leave. That face of concern...of fear...of sadness. He hated seeing it.' Three-part drabble set. Content warning: contains mention of cancer, Angst with a happy ending.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a little trio of drabbles I wrote off and on during the last week or so. I've always been a sucker for some medical drama in fiction, but not constant doom and gloom.**

 **These Drabbles heavily reference cancer and medical treatments, so do be forewarned if that makes you uncomfortable.**

* * *

He'd been discreet about everything, from putting in the request for an extended leave to who he told and how. Or moreso, he simply told Scrooge he was on medical leave, told him not to disclose the circumstances to anyone and said absolutely nothing to anyone else.

Gyro didn't need anyone to know he was sick.

Of course, those he worked with closely would get curious. They'd been the ones to notice his decline of energy, his fatigue and his weight loss faster than he did. And Fenton and Manny both had suggested to him that he see a doctor about his persistent itchy feeling he was complaining about.

It's true that he hadn't been feeling well, but he didn't think too much of it, and he didn't think the doctors would either. But after just two weeks and several appointments exams and diagnostics later, he was having to make all of these decisions by himself, and he was left staring towards the future with uncertainty.

He wasn't going to tell anyone about this. He didn't need the fuss. He'd had to hold his hand up to halt Scrooge from doing anything when he finally relented and told him why he needed medical leave. That face of concern...of fear...of sadness. He hated seeing it.

"I don't need people worrying over me. I just need the time off."

Thankfully, his employer didn't argue and was able to grant him the time off he needed.

"You can take longer if you need," Scrooge had said as Gyro walked out. "I know how these things go."

Gyro knew the duck meant well, that his situation could always take a little longer or shorter than what doctors' predicted, but it really just made him imagine the worst possible outcome.

It hadn't exactly sunk in yet that he had cancer.

His doctor had given him all the reassurance he needed, that it was stage 2 _Hodgkins' lymphoma_ , something highly treatable with a good prognosis rate in his age bracket. All the best possible outcomes, they'd said as he left the office that final time.

 _People my age don't get cancer and just walk out of it with no harm done_ , Gyro thought to himself. And even with a good prognosis at the end of it, he still had to rearrange his whole life around just to assure he wouldn't die at the end of this fiasco.

Duckburg's hospital was restructuring their cancer ward and wouldn't be able to treat him. It didn't help that they were offering to waive any extra fees from transferring his medical information to another hospital. He'd still have to miss work to move.

He'd been in the middle of packing his second suitcase when he heard a knock on the door. He glared into the peephole to tell whoever it was to go away.

"Dr. Gearloose?" the voice on the other side piped up. "It's just me, Fenton."

"Now isn't a good time," he'd called through the door at his nosy former intern. "Come back later."

"...How much later?"

"I don't know, like six months, how's that?" Gyro huffed.

"...Can I please come in?" Fenton almost pleaded.

Taking in a deep breath, figuring he could get him to leave within a few minutes, Gyro opened the door and stared down with annoyance at him. "What."

It wasn't that he didn't like Fenton. On the contrary, he didn't mind him at all. But he knew that duck wore his heart on his sleeve, and he'd probably be a crying snotty wreck over Gyro telling him he was sick.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I heard you were taking time off work."

"Who told you that?"

"Y-Your replacement, Fethry."

Gyro didn't answer, deciding instead to show a lot of vivid interest in his kitchen sink as Fenton asked questions.

"What happened at the doctors?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Gyro waved him off, voice distant. "I'll be returning to work...and Duckburg, eventually."

"Can you please just tell me what's wrong? Otherwise, I'm going to be up all night and wondering if it's something that I caused, and-"

"I have cancer," Gyro finally blurted, voice flat. He just wanted Fenton to stop rambling.

"...What?"

"I'm not coming back to work because I have cancer. And now you know. Is that all you wanted to hear?"

"I-"

"It's stage two Hodgkins' disease, and as a result, I have to receive an aggressive mix of radiation and chemotherapy to try and eliminate it. So, yes. I'm not coming back to work until it's cured, or I die. Whichever happens first."

"...Oh my god, Gyro," Fenton spoke up, sounding horrified. "I'm so s-"

"No no no, don't go and give me sympathies," Gyro shut him up. "I don't want anyone else getting involved in this because I don't need anyone worrying about me or feeling emotional over me or _anything_ , alright? Just pretend I'm on vacation and that you'll see me in a few weeks...or months."

"Is that why you're packing suitcases?"

"Duckburg's hospital can't help me while they restructure, so I'm transferring my records to the one in Hawkhill. I'll be staying with my sister there. Train leaves tomorrow morning."

"Are you going to visit Duckburg during th-"

"I don't know. There will be at least a week between each treatment cycle, so I suppose I would have time to make a visit, but…" Gyro stared at his last suitcase, still half packed. "I don't want to visit when the feathers on my head are falling out, and I look like a half-dead zombie. Because then everyone will know."

"Oh...okay. Do you want me to get your mail for you and water your plants while you're gone?" Fenton looked at the apartment that would be collecting dust for the next several months without its owner.

"I have a neighbor doing that, but thank you." Gyro looked rather forlorn in that moment.

"...Do you want me to help you finish packing your last suitcase?" Fenton offered, trying to smile reassuringly.

It didn't take long to pack it. The suitcase's contents were mostly just clothes and a selection of books. Fenton had taken a bit of time to admire each book that Gyro had picked. He recognized several of them from the communal library at the money bin.

"I packed all of my tools and equipment in the other suitcase. I felt it was most important I take those," Gyro explained as he settled at his kitchen table and stared into his mug.

He'd made tea for himself and Fenton after finishing packing. For some reason, he didn't mind letting the other stay a little longer. And the tea was a little relaxing on the nerves.

"Maybe you can create something for hospitals to use," Fenton had suggested, trying to be ever the optimist. "Like...I don't know, a robot helper for nurses? Speaking of which, are you taking Lil Bulb?"

"Oh, no." Gyro shook his head. "I couldn't let it worry over me. It's so sensitive, you know?"

Fenton tried to not bring up the robot's enjoyment of kicking his shins on the daily and just smiled. "Yeah. I understand. But it might be nice to have someone to help you while you're-"

"No," Gyro cut him off, adamant. "I refuse to be a burden on anyone, even Lil Bulb. I'm probably already asking too much by staying with my sister." He shook his head. "I can deal with a little dizziness and whatever else these treatments will do to me."

"Gyro...it's okay to need help."

"I _know_ that," the chicken snapped, glaring into his tea, "but I hate that I might get to the point where I can't take care of myself like I should." His throat caught tightly. "Because then what happens after that? I'm dead. That's what."

Fenton put his teacup down. "Hey now, don't talk like that. You're doing fine now, and you'll _keep_ doing fine! The type you have is one of the most treatable kinds, and the outcome gets better every year it seems! And you've got the best statistics for it, so you could be back home in less than three mon-...Gyro?"

The inventor was screwing his eyes shut as he tried to make the tears that were burning at his eyes disappear. His breath hitched as he rubbed at his eyes and sniffled. He didn't cry much. He tried not to. But this was a really trying time, and his body wasn't going to listen to his mind.

"G-Gyro, I'm sorry if I-"

"N-no no, you're right. I have the best statistics, but if they really were the best, then I wouldn't have this at all!" Gyro lamented into his hand. "I have to leave my job, my home and probably lose whatever is on top of my head from this and not be able to work when I get too tired. And then with my luck, everything could go wrong!"

Fenton watched Gyro grab for a napkin and furiously rub at his eyes, then tear the paper up.

"I don't want anyone worried about me, and I don't want _this!_ "

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between the two for at least several minutes. Fenton knew there really wasn't anything to say that would make Gyro's worries go away. That might not happen for some time.

"Hey...uh...if you want, and if your sister doesn't mind, maybe I can come visit you on the weekend?"

Gyro glanced upward at him, silently trying to gauge if he was being serious.

"I know you'd be nervous about people seeing you back home when you're in the middle of your treatments, so I could just make it easier and come to you. Then you don't get too lonely," Fenton offered with a half-hearted smile.

"...Oh...mmm." Gyro averted his gaze back to his teacup. "Just don't tell anyone else where I am, if you can at all help it."

"Oh, don't even worry! I won't," the duck assured, finishing off his tea. "Well, I should get back to the lab before Manny gets too suspicious. Good luck with your trip tomorrow, and...I'll see you soon, okay?"

Gyro seemed to deflate a little as he walked Fenton to the door. "Alright," he spoke up, voice hoarse. "See you later then, I guess."

Fenton sensed something was off. Maybe it was too soon to really say goodbye.

"...Do you want me to see you off at the train station tomorrow? I don't mind."

Gyro didn't respond before he shut the door, but the small glimmer in his eyes at the offer seemed to answer the question perfectly fine.

* * *

 **Hodgkins lymphoma, or Hodgkins Disease, is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is a part of the immune system. This cancer affects the lymph nodes which makes it harder to fight off infection. Luckily, this type of lymphoma is, with modern medicine and treatments, highly treatable with good prognosis rates in early stages.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do you look so surprised? I greeted you at the door last time."

Fenton was trying to come up with the best answer he could as to why he was so surprised to see Gyro. Well...not actually seeing him but seeing how he was.

During the first two weekend visits to Hawkhill, he'd been taken aback by how tired and sickly the poor guy looked. Cancer treatments were notoriously aggressive, both on the disease and the person, and Gyro was proof. Most of the visits were spent in Gyro's sister's living room, where they would sit on the couch and chat until Gyro passed out, and Fenton would go home, feeling an ache in his heart at how exhausted and spaced out his friend had been.

But today, he seemed quite the opposite. He was still looking thinner in his clothes, but there was an energy in his expression, and he had the same clothes on he'd wear to work back in Duckburg rather than pajamas or an old sweater.

"You...look _great_ ," Fenton suddenly decided to admit, smiling. "Are you feeling better?"

"I think I am," Gyro nodded, a faint smile on his face as he beckoned Fenton inside. "My chemotherapy appointment was pushed to earlier on Monday instead of Thursday or Friday, so I got all my sleeping and brain-fuzziness out of the way before you visited."

"Oh good," Fenton laughed. "It's good to see you more like your old self. And y'know, with your hat on, I don't even notice any feathers missing. It's like nothing changed from back in Duckburg."

"Glad you think so." Gyro shook his head. "I still get looks when some feathers fall off in public….I've been trying to get out around town when I'm not working in here. Sara works during the week, so I'm stuck in the house alone."

"Where is Sara, anyway?" Fenton glanced around for any sign of Gyro's older sister.

"Out grocery shopping," Gyro recalled. "She said she'd be back later, I think." He shrugged. "Anyway, want to see what I've been working on? It's in the garage!"

"Sure!" Fenton smile widened, glad to see the excitable gait in Gyro's step again and seeing him three steps ahead of himself made him even happier. The last two months had been really worrisome, in-between the visits he made and the long return trips home he'd spent thinking about poor Gyro and his predicament.

"-And this is the pocket sized portable bed," Gyro listed off one of the many inventions he was working on and showing off to Fenton. "Ideally, all one has to do to have access to the frame, pillow, mattress AND sheets is add water!"

Fenton had just then realized he'd not paid attention for five whole minutes to Gyro's spiel. And he felt bad for not listening….but he felt happier knowing that Gyro was being more like his old self again.

"Any questions?"

"Tell me more about this one." Fenton decided to point to a random invention that he'd not listened to.

"Ah yes! My favorite. The space-time altering _ball-point pen_!"

After about a half hour of showing off the inventions and even testing one or two of them (Gyro told Fenton not to let his sister know about the very small fire that resulted), they were in the kitchen for snacks. Gyro had seemed to settle on a banana when Fenton decided to ask. "How are you?"

"I'm...fine?" Gyro seemed a little wary of the question.

"I-I just meant, well-" Fenton began, trying to think of a tactful way to ask a rather personal question. "How are your doctor visits going?"

Gyro was peeling his banana to take a bite and seemed to catch on. "Ohhh...they're actually going well, I think. My last diagnostics showed good progress, and it seems to be going pretty steady in that direction."

"O-oh, good," Fenton smiled, feeling relieved. "I guess I was just wondering because it's just...really nice to see you more like yourself again. I always felt a little worried going home from my visits because you seemed so tired then."

Gyro stopped mid-chew. "Oh. I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to worry you-"

"Oh no, no! I should have worded that-"

"No, it's alright," Gyro assured. "I know the last times you visited, I was right in the middle of dealing with the side effects of my treatments. It's...not pleasant to look at, and it's certainly not pleasant to experience."

"I can imagine," Fenton sighed. "And I'll probably see you like that again, won't I?"

"Quite possibly." Gyro took another bite of banana. "But hopefully not too many more times. Once I'm officially in remission and all cleared, things should be relatively back to normal again."

"And you'll move back home?"

"That's the plan." Gyro mirrored Fenton's smile a little, only for his attention to be averted by the sound of his sister arriving home with a bag of groceries in her hands.

"Hey!" Sara waved to Fenton as she came in and set the groceries down, giving Gyro an affectionate rub on the head. "Sorry I was out so long. Hopefully you guys didn't get too bored."

"We're fine," Gyro spoke calmly, standing up with a stretch. "Did you need help unpacking those?"

"Last time you unpacked them, you hoarded all the popcorn," Sara snorted. "You can unpack the fruits though. I haven't grabbed them out of the car yet."

"Alright." Gyro shrugged and sauntered outside.

Once he was out, Sara looked over to Fenton with a grateful look. "Thanks so much for keeping him company again. I think he was getting pretty restless."

"It really wasn't any trouble. I was honestly just really happy to see him so energetic today."

"Me too." The hen nodded, smiling wistfully. "I'm glad that for once y'can see him on a good day."

"Yeah...let's hope for more good days." Fenton grinned at her with reassurance, and Sara grinned right back.

Gyro came in with the groceries, staring in slight confusion at one of the items in the bag. "You got avocados. I thought you hated them." He glanced at Sara.

"I know, but _you_ like them, and I figured you can probably figure out something to do with them!"

The chicken rubbed his chin in thought. "Can you try blending them with some sugar and putting them in the freezer? They might be soothing to eat after my next chemotherapy and radiation appointments."

"Okay, I'm stopping you there." His eldest sister shook her head. "If you want them like that, you make them because I don't even want to _think_ about it." She grimaced and pat his head. "I'm sorry, but that's just gross!"

"You're forcing an ill man to make his own food?" Gyro bat his eyes dramatically. "Cruel."

Fenton was unable to stop grinning at seeing Gyro and his sister banter with each other, knowing Gyro was in good hands, even on his tougher days.

Later that evening, Fenton had offered to take Gyro to get ice cream before he had to return to Duckburg, an offer which the inventor accepted without much question. Fenton still worried a little. He knew eventually there would be another set of bad days for Gyro that he might be witness to. But as Fenton watched him happily munch on a scoop of raspberry sorbet while resting against his shoulder, he knew there probably really wasn't much he had to worry about after all.

* * *

 **I have no idea if Gyro canonically has siblings or not. But I like to think he has a bunch of brothers and sisters. And this sister I named Sara after my favorite Fleetwood Mac song. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Upon his return to Duckburg, there was very little fanfare. Which is exactly what Gyro had hoped for. He'd been eager to return to his regular working schedule and not be bombarded with welcome wagons and well-wishers left and right. And he'd been so bored for the last month of waiting to move back.

In spite of what he'd hoped, being declared in remission didn't mean he could immediately stop all treatment and go home. It took another month of regimens and screenings and tests just to make sure. And even if it did ensure he was cured, Gyro considered it a massive pain in the butt to have to feel tired and gross for an extra month and remain shacked up in his sister's house.

"Good t'have you back, lad!" Scrooge had patted Gyro on the back as he walked in that morning.

"It's _great_ that I'm back," Gyro corrected him. "Now work can actually get done around here. I don't know what Fethry was having the team do, but surely, I can do _better_!"

Scrooge had rolled his eyes with a exasperated smile. Same old Gyro. He'd missed it.

The McDuck Enterprise laboratory had not changed at all since he'd last left it, and all the familiar smells and sounds of it made him immediately feel at home. Manny had tapped a greeting, and Gyro responded curtly, getting right back to work. The sooner he was back in his routine and working mindset, the better.

Of course, he didn't want to deny the idea that people missed him because with how long he'd been gone, people were probably noticing his absence and curious. But he made both Scrooge and Fenton swear not to tell anyone about his cancer or him leaving town to treat it. And if people asked, they just had to say they didn't know. Manny and Lil Bulb didn't have lips to speak with so he knew secrets would be safe with them.

"Dr. G, you're back!" Launchpad had cheered, scooping Gyro up in a massive hug and almost crushing him in the process. "How was Hawaii?"

"Hawaii...?" Gyro repeated in confusion and looked over to Fenton who nodded frantically for him to play along. He coughed. "O-Oh yes! Hawaii was...fun! I er...studied the lava flow of all the volcanoes and examined water and sand samples. V-very educational."

"You're so lucky! You got to be there for four months!" The pilot grinned, giving Gyro another hug before he went back up the stairs.

Fenton looked to Gyro apologetically. "He got really worried about you, so I told him you were on vacation as a reward by Scrooge for working so hard."

"Ahh. I see," Gyro snorted softly, smiling a little. "Now that means Scrooge actually has to give us paid vacations to secure the fib."

"He's not gonna like that," Fenton laughed softly. He was relieved to see Gyro back at his desk. Lil Bulb sat atop his shoulder, working away like he'd never left the lab.

"I think I at least deserve a real vacation where I don't get poked with needles or exposed to radiation," Gyro mused and held up the piece of hardware he was examining to get a better look at it in the light. "But probably not Hawaii. Too many tourists there." He clicked his tongue distastefully.

"Well, wherever you'd want to go, I'd be down. I like traveling," Fenton spoke up with a friendly grin.

"Just don't use the Gizmoduck suit for use of travel," Gyro warned. "Like that one time you visited me back at my sisters'."

"Did she manage to get her roof fixed?" Fenton asked apologetically.

Gyro simply sighed and rolled his eyes as he went back to working. He certainly was back to his old self, and even if he wasn't as affectionate anymore, Fenton was just glad he was still Gyro.

The triplets had visited the lab with Scrooge later that afternoon and obviously noticed Gyro's return from a long, unexplained absence.

"You seem different," the ever observant Huey had commented as he took a close look at Gyro.

"How so?" The inventor tried not to sweat.

"I can't put my finger on it." The duckling rubbed his chin then shook his head. "I think you got a haircut?"

"...Yeah! You noticed!" Gyro smiled awkwardly at Scrooge as if to silently ask him to get the children to leave. He was already fairly self conscious about any possible physical changes he still hadn't recovered from thanks to his cancer treatments. He knew he was definitely still underweight, and the tufts of feathers atop his head were still quite thin, but he didn't think anyone would actually notice.

When the triplets had left, Gyro glanced over to Fenton. "Do I really look different?"

"Not really," Fenton assured. "Your bangs look a little shorter, but that's it."

"Okay, good," the chicken sighed. "Last thing I need is more people finding out about the cancer-"

"WAIT, WHAT, YOU HAVE CANCER?!" A voice shrieked in shock, and the two looked over to see Webby had been in the lab with the triplets without anyone noticing and had dropped the Capri Swan in her hand.

Gyro put his face in his hands and cursed, then sat up and shook his head. "Nope. No. Nyet. Webby. No. I do not. I do not have cancer as of right now."

"But you HAD it and you didn't tell anyone?!" The duckling was mortified at the prospect that she didn't know absolutely every single secret in the alliances of Scrooge McDuck.

Groaning, the inventor sighed again. "Look. It really wasn't a big deal. I just...kind of had cancer and had to get it treated, and I didn't want everyone to know because I didn't want lots of fuss and worry and panic. It's a thing of the past, and I'm back to work, and I'd really like to get back to my normal life. Capice?"

Webby was still staring in slight horror. "H-How many other people know?"

"Just me." Fenton raised his hand. "And those guys." He thumbed to Manny and Lil Bulb. "And Scrooge. But that's it."

"And that's how it's going to stay," Gyro sternly told Webby. "So don't tell anyone else about it. That's all I ask of you, Webbigail."

Nodding in agreement, Webby seemed to relax a little but she still looked worried. "Are you... okay?"

Gyro stared at his hands as if he was looking for any physical wounds, then shrugged. "Yes."

"I mean...are you really okay? How sick did you get?"

"Didn't I _just_ say it's a thing of the past?" Gyro snapped, almost slamming his head on the desk but re-composed himself, remembering that Webby was still a child. A child that didn't know when to _drop the damn subject_. "Treatment made me exhausted, and I required a lot of sleep and some feather loss, but in full honesty, Launchpad has had nearer-death experiences than I did when he's crashing his plane on the weekly. This was less of a threat on my life and more of a ridiculous inconvenience, and it's absolutely nothing for you to worry over."

"Oh...alright then." Webby was a little more at ease. "Should I worry about Launchpad then?"

"Dear, we all do, every single minute of the day." Gyro shook his head, voice deadpanned. "Now pick up that juice you dropped please, before it attracts ants."

Fenton watched as Webby went off about her day and glanced to Gyro with a knowing smile. "You handled that pretty well."

"Glad you think so." Gyro was already back to work, patting Lil Bulb gently as the robot scooted back onto his shoulder.

Later that evening, as they were clocking out, Fenton caught Gyro by the arm. "Hey," he spoke up, "wanna go get dinner together or something?"

"Is this a date?", Gyro asked, almost warily. "Or are you just really happy and relieved to see me at work again?"

"...Kind of both?" Fenton admitted, blushing slightly. "How did you guess the second part?"

"You've been making googly eyes at me all day, Cabrera," Gyro snorted as he pressed the elevator button. "I know what you're thinking about."

"Okay, you got me," Fenton sighed, then smiled, "but I really am happy to see you back. I missed you."

Gyro watched the elevator numbers rise for several seconds before he answered, "I missed you too. You're buying my dinner."

"Deal."

* * *

 **Spoiler: Eventually Manny accidentally let the truth slip in morse code to Huey, and everyone threw a support party for Gyro, but actually forgot to even invite him. He was busy watching horror movies with Fenton.**


End file.
